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A Judge Could Advance Purdue Pharma’s $7B Opioid Settlement After All 50 States Back It
All 50 U.S. states have agreed to the OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma ’s latest plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids. A judge is considering whether to clear the way for local governments and individual victims to vote on it.
Government entities, emergency room doctors, insurers, families of children born into withdrawal from the powerful prescription painkiller, individual victims and their families and others would have until Sept. 30 to vote on whether to accept the deal, which calls for members of the Sackler family who own the company to pay up to $7 billion over 15 years. If approved, the settlement would be among the largest in a wave of lawsuits over the past decade as governments and others sought to hold drugmakers, wholesalers and pharmacies accountable for the opioid epidemic that started rising in the years after OxyContin hit the market in 1996. The other settlements together are worth about $50 billion, and most of the money is to be used to combat the crisis. In the early 2000s, most opioid deaths were linked to prescription drugs, including OxyContin. Since then, heroin and then illicitly produced fentanyl became the biggest killers. In some years, the class of drugs was linked to more than 80,000 deaths, but that number dropped sharply last year. |
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Hospitals Stunned by Senate GOP’s Medicaid Plan
One of the most powerful lobbies in Washington is redoubling its efforts to avoid a cut to Medicaid payments in the GOP’s megabill. Hospital executives weren’t happy last month when the House included a provision in its version of the bill freezing a loophole states have used to boost payments to hospitals serving the low-income patients enrolled in Medicaid. Hospitals have long enjoyed deference from lawmakers — since they both care for and employ their constituents. But they were infuriated when Senate Republicans on the Finance Committee released their version of the bill on Monday. Their proposal went even further than the House measure in curtailing the ability of states to impose taxes on providers. States have used those taxes to gain a larger federal Medicaid contribution, which they have then directed back to hospitals with higher reimbursements.
The Senate’s proposal would lower the amount the 40 states that have expanded Medicaid under Obamacare can levy in provider taxes from 6 percent to 3.5 percent. It has hospital lobbyists painting a bleak picture of their financial prospects in a last-ditch effort to change senators’ minds. |
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Medical Board Rejects Petition for Autism Spectrum Disorder
The State Medical Board of Ohio met on Wednesday, June 11, and discussed the petition for refractory autism spectrum disorder. After the discussion, the full board accepted the recommendation of the Medical Marijuana Committee and voted to reject the petition.
Under Ohio law, the following are qualifying medical conditions: AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cachexia, cancer, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy or another seizure disorder, fibromyalgia, glaucoma, hepatitis C, Huntington’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, multiple sclerosis, pain that is either chronic and severe or intractable, Parkinson’s disease, positive status for HIV, post-traumatic stress disorder, sickle cell anemia, Spasticity, spinal cord disease or injury, terminal illness, Tourette syndrome, traumatic brain injury, and ulcerative colitis. The next submission period is scheduled for Nov. 1 – Dec. 31, 2025. Anyone may submit a petition requesting a condition be added to the OMMCP. If a condition has been previously rejected by the board, the new petition must contain new scientific information that supports the request. |
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The Ohio Council Welcomes New Provider Member, Anchor Addiction and Wellness Center
Anchor Addiction and Wellness Center in Chillicothe, OH - James Leman, CEO can be reached at [email protected] or by phone at (504) 458-7918. Anchor Addiction and Wellness Center is an outpatient addiction treatment program that is federally licensed opioid treatment program that provides substance use disorder medications directly to patients. They specialize in addiction treatment programs designed to meet the unique needs of each individual. Their medication assisted treatment programs are tailored to help those struggling with various substances, including, opioids, meth, heroin, alcohol, and fentanyl. They provide both outpatient and intensive outpatient programs in Ross, Jackson, Pike, Highland, and Pickaway counties.
Click here to learn more about Anchor Addiction and Wellness Center! |
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Ohio Senate Passes Budget Giving Browns $600 Million, Tax Cuts, and More Public School Money
The Ohio Senate has passed a $60 billion state biennial operating budget, which includes a tax cut for the wealthy, some increased public education funding, and $600 million in funding to the Cleveland Browns for their new stadium.
The total budget is expected to be around $200 billion once federal dollars come in. Ohio House Bill 96 was voted on mainly along party lines, 23-10. State Sen. Bill Blessing, R-Colerain Township, joined the Democrats to vote no.
Funding for schools, Medicaid, libraries, lead abatement, food banks, and child care face funding decreases from the current status or from the governor’s budget. |
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